I'm a alum. It's an outstanding school full of bright and interesting, albeit largely midwestern, students (although that's changing somewhat . . .). In addition to a world-class music department, it's strong academically in many disciplines. I was a social science grad and went to a highly-ranked law school and I know many others that went to top graduate and professional schools. There have been many improvements to the beautiful campus in recent years, including a spectacular science building and modern student center. Carleton is certainly a tier above, but the gap is closing and St. Olaf may be a better fit socially for some students. It's absolutely worth a close look.

There is a lot of quiet drinking on campus but, as a PP said, unless students are 21 they are not allowed to drink anywhere in the US. In my experience, once St Olaf students are old enough to legally drink, the drinking has moved to the residential houses and the admin sort of looks the other way.

It is a decent school. I thought the student body was largely pretty serious but were not cutthroat. Career options have increased - when I graduated most on campus recruiting was geared towards the Twin Cities. Most people I know did not go into the workforce right away - med school, law, scholarships and fellowships overseas, teaching in Asia, etc., were more typical. If you wanted to go right to Wall Street or consulting it was not the right place. It has gotten better on that account but Carleton is still the safer bet.

It is a fine choice for State Dept. College doesn't really factor into the FS exam and probably doesn't have big impact on civil service hiring either. St Olaf offers strong academics, a stress on good writing and a pretty civil atmosphere so it is probably good prep for State.

I think I read that St. Olaf had ONE case of this happening in the past few years.

That's a lot less frequent than the usual drink related disasters as most other colleges.

And there will be plenty of students who adhere to the dry policy because that will be one of the reasons they chose to be there...

No need to scare monger or paint a picture of drunken disasters abounding all over St Olaf when that's simply not happening.

Alcohol is illegal for those under 21 no matter whether your campus has an official "dry" policy or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Because forcing kids to binge in their rooms and be fearful of calling for help is a good thing?

Oh, is that their "official" policy on alcohol now? FORCING kids to binge drink?

Don't be deliberately stupid. It's called "pregaming" where kids binge in their rooms before going to the "dry" activities. It's actually quite dangerous.

And you're actually quite stupid to think pre-gaming is unique to St. Olaf and dry schools. At the other schools, they pre-game the wet events. Is that so much better?

OK, this is not a hard concept... Dry campuses force students to hide in their rooms and drink large quantities of alcohol quickly because 1) they have to hide it and 2) it will be harder to obtain later. They WILL consume, its a matter of how much over how long. Students may hesitate to ask or call for help for fear of getting in trouble for alcohol violation. St. Olaf does NOT have a policy in place to protect students who have been drinking and solicit help for another student. Don't get me wrong, St. Olaf was DS number 2 choice but it is simply irrational to believe that students will comply if a University throws bans and sets stricter parameters on drinking rules and for parents to assume that a dry campus is a safer campus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Because forcing kids to binge in their rooms and be fearful of calling for help is a good thing?

Oh, is that their "official" policy on alcohol now? FORCING kids to binge drink?

Don't be deliberately stupid. It's called "pregaming" where kids binge in their rooms before going to the "dry" activities. It's actually quite dangerous.

And you're actually quite stupid to think pre-gaming is unique to St. Olaf and dry schools. At the other schools, they pre-game the wet events. Is that so much better?

We toured St. Olaf. The tour guide flat out said that his roommate got in trouble when he called for help for another student. They were drinking in a dorm and someone passed out and the kid called for help. It's only alcohol free in the hearts and minds of the administration. I would say a wet campus is a safer campus because it removes the clandestine nature of an activity that students are going to engage in regardless of whether campus is an 'alcohol free zone' or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Because forcing kids to binge in their rooms and be fearful of calling for help is a good thing?

Oh, is that their "official" policy on alcohol now? FORCING kids to binge drink?

Don't be deliberately stupid. It's called "pregaming" where kids binge in their rooms before going to the "dry" activities. It's actually quite dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Because forcing kids to binge in their rooms and be fearful of calling for help is a good thing?

Oh, is that their "official" policy on alcohol now? FORCING kids to binge drink?

I know a girl who went to TJ who is very happy there and it is a great fit for her.

Anonymous wrote:Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Because forcing kids to binge in their rooms and be fearful of calling for help is a good thing?

Its an alcohol free zone which is a good thing

Have to say that the lilt of the Minnesota singsong is more melodious at the top of hill than in the valley.

If she can get into Carleton, that has a much stronger reputation. In my day, St. Olaf used to be known for having an excellent choir, but that's about all.


- MN native

We visited St Olaf as a safety school. I thought it was wonderful. My daughter also liked it but as she can get into a much higher ranked school, she's not sold. I thought St. Olaf would be an oasis after the dc area stress of high school. What do other parents think? Does it have a good reputation for jobs afterwards? My daughters interested in joining the state department. Thanks.